Clasp fob loom-harness



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N.PETERS, F'HOTO-LIYHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. i

GEORGE COPELAND, OF DANVILLE, MAINE.

CLASP FOR LOOM-HARNESS.

Specification of Letters Patent'No. 11,719, dated September 26, 1854.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE COPELAND, of Danville, in the county of Androscoggin and State of Maine, have invented a new and useful Clasp for Attaching Weavers Harness to the Straps by which it is Suspended; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l, is a front view, showing one of the clasps, the strap and a portion of the upper harness shaft and harness. Fig. 2, is a transverse sect-ien of the same. Fig. 3, is a front view of part of the shaft and harness with the clasp and strap in section.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

My invention consists in two plates which are placed, one in front of the harness shaft, and the other behind it, and furnished with teeth or catches which pass between the heddles, on the under or inner side of the shaft, and are so suspended from the strap that its tension draws them toward each other, and causes the shaft to be confined between them. This clasp affords a cheaper and more convenient mode of attaching the harness, and prevents injury to the shafts or heddles, and thereby renders the harness more durable than when attached to the straps in the old way.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and joperation.

A, A, are the plates forming the clasp, which I prefer to make of cast iron for the sake of' cheapness, but which might be of other metal. They are both cast from the same pattern, having teeth or catches a, a, at one extremity, which are thin enough to pass between the heddles, and of a length about equal to the thickness of the harness shaft, and having two openings Z), b, of sufficient size to allow the strap B, to pass freely through, the holes Z9, b, being far enough from the catches or teeth a, a, to leave room between them and the said catches or teeth to receive the harness shaft or heddle rail D. The strap is looped, and each side of the loop passes through the hole b, of one plate, then outside the bar c, which is left between the two openings, through sidered as levers of the rst order with the` bars c, c, as the fulcra and the power applied by the strap inside d, d, or as levers of the third order, with d, d, as the fulcra, and the power applied outside c, c. The teeth or catches a, a, are so placed, that those of one plate are about opposite the centers of the spaces between those of the other plate.

This clasp affords the greatest facility for attachment and detachment of the harness to and from the strap, as when the strap is slack, the plates hang free to be moved apart, as shown in red outline in Fig. 2. Besides being cheaper than the hook and eye commonly used for attaching the shaft or rail to the strap, it possesses several advantages. lst. It allows the web to be adjusted sidewise in the loom without boring holes in the shaft, while the eyes require new holes for every adjustment. 2d. The harness is not crowded over to make room for the eye and therefore not aptto cant the heddles. 3d. It causes no injury to the shafts by the changing of the harness, while the changing of the eye, which is often necessary, in order to make the web hang true, frequently renders the shaft unfit to be ire-knitted upon.` 4th. The tin band for holding the two sides of the loop together, is dispensed with. 5th. The clasp can be applied to any part of the harness instantly. 6th. It is stronger and more secure, and 7 th. It gives more room to buckle up, as it leaves a greater length of strap between the harness and the roll.

lVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The clasp formed of two plates A, A, having holes Z), b', to receive the strap, and catches teeth a, a, or other analogous projections to catch the harness shaft or rail, substantially as herein described.

GEORGE COPELAND.

Witnesses:

J osHUA W. COPELAND, J osEPH F. RANDALL. 

